As you know, the Mazda Roadster/MX5 is one of the most influential and popular sports cars in the world. The Roadster has always been a popular tuning in platform in Japan, and the early models in particular have recently grown in popularity among Japanese style tuning fans worldwide.
The latest version of the car, the NC has also grown as a popular choice for the circuits and winding mountain roads of Japan. Even though it is often overshadowed by cars like the Evolution, STI, GT-R and Honda's VTEC machines, the NC has proven to be quite a capable platform since its introduction a few years ago.
One of the finest examples of late model Roadster tuning in Japan comes from Integral Kobe, not surprisingly located in the city of Kobe in western Japan. If the car looks familiar, you may have seen it in a recent Hot Version volume where it received with high praise during HV's touge battle segment.
While the stock 2.0L mill in the stock Roadster serves up more than enough power to enjoy the car, the crew at Integral Kobe has taken things a step further. To source some extra power, a larger 2.3L MZR powerplant was borrowed from the Mazda Atenza sports sedan.
With the added displacement, some fine tuning and bolt-on additions, the car is now outputting around 210ps. While this may not sound like much, it is nearly a 40ps gain over the stock engine and the car still retains its famed naturally aspirated responsiveness.
The already potent factory suspension has been enhanced with an original Integral Kobe Jet's master damper kit as well as upgraded bushings. A Cusco MZ-RS LSD has also been thrown into the mix for added bite.
Underneath, the car is running Endless CC-X brakes and 17x7.5 front and 17x8.5 rear wheels from Ray's wrapped in Potenza RE01R rubber.
Also noticeable are the aero parts which are also part of Integral Kobe's "Jet's" line. Up front, the car is equipped with a front under-spoiler and canards. There are also Jet's side deflectors in front of the rear fenders and a Jet's rear trunk spoiler.
The end result is something that has again shown the beauty of a light weight rear-wheel-drive platform. With all of the work on the car,Integral Kobe has shown the potential of the new roadster and has proven itself against the best that Japan's tuners have to offer.
Check Integral Kobe's site for more.
that must a blast to drive.
NCs are amazing to drive in stock format, i cant even imagine how great this car must be!
Posted by: AJ Phelps | April 05, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Yeahhhhh 2.3 MZR!!!
Posted by: Jeff | April 05, 2008 at 02:25 PM